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Tuesday, 23 February 2010

How much do you love your pears? I can't get enough of them at the moment. Last weekend I was craving pears, so I bought a whole load of these beauties to make something delicious with them and I knew they'd be perfect in clafoutis.

I'd just like to say a massive 'THANK YOU' to all the judges that voted for my photo, and especially David, the host of this month's contest. Had I known how averse he was to seeing macarons in photos, I probably would have never submitted my photo. But then, I guess I never would have won!

So this week Dear Readers, I'm trying a little poll, and I'd love to know:

I'd also like to say a big THANK YOU to all of you that commented last week. Your time management tips and tricks have been so helpful - I learned so much. As for last week's Moleskine Recipe Journal giveaway, the winners are: Sarah (Maison Cupcake), Paula P, and M3card. I'll be emailing you soon and I'll send you your journals as soon as I get your postal details. Congratulations and thanks so much for commenting!

On a more serious note, my darling friend Jeanne of Cook Sister is running a raffle to try and raise money for the H2Ope for Haiti campaign run by the Concern Worldwide charity. Jeanne asked me to take part in the raffle by donating a prize, so I donated:

- £200 worth of Virgin vouchers (given to me as a gift, but I thought they'd be more useful here) (prize code HFH28)

- A set of 5 of my original floral photographic prints (see below) (prize code HFH25)

Concern Worldwide, a non-governmental international humanitarian organisation, founded in 1968, was selected because of its long track record and
quick response after the quake to provide clean drinking water and
water purification tablets.

The money raised by this
raffle will be paid directly into Concern Worldwide's account by
Justgiving and will be used exclusively for the Haiti relief effort.

Although each person's donation may be small, even single drops of water will eventually fill a swimming pool.

And don't get me started on all your lovely emails! I received some amazingly heartfelt & emotional letters from you that I absolutely loved - some made me laugh and some made me cry, but most made me happy - thank you so much. I had no idea when I was originally writing my post that so many of you would relate to it on such an emotional level. I am glad I could 'help' those that I could, and I'm grateful for all your brilliant advice, comments and suggestions. I love you guys. You're the best readers any blogger could ever hope for!

Anyway, without further ado, the winner of last weeks macaron giveaway as chosen by Jean is:

Queenie Yee with 'Saffron Kiss'

Congratulations! Not only will a box of macarons be sent out to you, but Jean will be making your macarons, naming them after you, and sending you a box of those too. How fabulous is that? I'm so jealous.

It's been a bit of a mad week, but I'm feeling so full of hope for new beginnings. It all started last week when I noticed how much brighter it was in the evenings. Then I saw the first snowdrops of the year, and now I know spring is just around the corner, after what seems like an eternal winter.

At some point last week I also realised I'd lost my time management mojo. I used to take pride in how well I managed my time, but somewhere along the way I lost track of things to the point where I realised I was drowning in work that, if properly organised, could be very manageable. To top it all off, and because I'd been rushing things, I received a friendly email saying I'd forgotten to add an ingredient to the ingredients list in one of my recipes. Needless to say, I nearly died of embarrassment.

I thank you deeply from the bottom of my heart for any and all emails you send me correcting me, my writing and/or letting me know about spelling/grammatical/ANY mistakes. In fact, I encourage you to do so wholeheartedly *please*. But I have to say, it was a wake up call and made me realise that I'd been spreading myself too thin, and I needed to take more time to complete and enjoy the things I consider to be important to me.

After making that all important adjustment to that recipe, I went online to find some help (what exactly did we do before the internet?), and rediscovered a blog I used to read called Unclutterer. It has such brilliant posts like Time Saving Tips & Establishing Routines. It also has great links to other time management sites, and if you do read it, don't forget to read the posts' comments. You'll find some invaluable advice there.

Having awoken my dormant mojo, I had a really good (early) spring clean of the flat, cleared out drawers and cupboards, gave a lot of clothes to charity, and shredded a whole pile of papers that I'd been meaning to shred for ages now (so therapeutic!). I also got a lot of my photos, paperwork and filing sorted out, but there's still a lot more to be done.

Which leads me nicely into this week's giveaway (this one's personal, just from me to you, with lots of love): I've got 3 copies of the new gorgeous Moleskine Passions Recipe Journal for you guys (I got one for myself too so I hopefully won't be forgetting any ingredients any time soon).

All you have to do to be in with a chance to win is leave a comment letting me know what your time management tips and tricks are - this could be anything from how you organise your life, to blogs/sites/books you read about time management or organising, to anything that saves you time. The closing date for this giveaway is Friday 19th of February, and it's open to everybody, everywhere. Winners will be chosen at random by myself and announced next week.

Now let's talk baking. Last week was Valentine's, and did I make anything pink or heart shaped? Nope. Today is Pancake Day, and what am I making? Chocolate Madeleines. I'm not a big fan of doing what everyone else does at the same time, on the same day. If you'd like a great recipe, you must try my version ofBill Granger's Ricotta Hotcakes- you'll flip over them! As for the madeleines, I love making these as they are so quick and easy to whip up. I used an old recipe from a very good French friend of mine which I've altered slightly. Enjoy!

Monday, 08 February 2010

My Darling Readers - this week I'd like to talk about an issue that lies very close to my stomach heart: gaining weight, or the lack thereof. For as long as I can remember, I've always struggled with my weight, and the fact that I could never gain weight easily. You wouldn't think it looking at my old baby photos, I was one round baby!

Most of my teenage years were spent close to a fridge - I have always been slightly obsessed with food and as you can see, I still am. But no matter how much I ate, I never gained any weight. And this was never an issue for me, until the name-calling started, names I care not to mention on this blog. Growing up hearing things like that is never nice and really affected me in ways I never should have allowed in the first place.

It's not socially acceptable to go up to anyone and call them fat, yet some seem to think they can call others ill-looking & skinny, and that's supposed to be fine, when it can actually be quite hurtful. Being constantly reminded how underweight one supposedly is, especially when said in a derogatory tone, should never have to be acceptable.

Which got me thinking, dear readers: what's weight got to do with it?

My weight does not define me.

My weight is not what I believe in.

My weight does not change me as a person.

My weight is not who I am.

I have to point out, I've done it all: daily ritual weighings, the weight gain diets, the exercise programs, the weight training, the high protein diet, the high carb diet, the high and/or low fat diet, the Arnie diet, the lady-gaga-takes-yo-mama-out-all-night diet, you name it, I've done it! And sure, I do gain a little weight, but the minute I stop the diet, I lose the weight again.

At some point in my late twenties, I realised that I'd have to stay on said diets for the rest of my life to keep the weight on. And I had to ask myself: WHY? No matter what diet I was on, or what exercise programs I suffered through, my body weight would always recalibrate itself back to 75kg, my normal, comfortable weight - the weight I am when I eat and exercise normally. Speaking of which, to me 75kg is by far no where near underweight.

Dear Readers, I'd like to make it very clear that this isn't a sympathy post. I'm happy with my weight. I haven't weighed myself in over a year. I eat a healthy diet. I only eat when I'm hungry. I don't calculate what I eat. If anyone has a problem with my weight, that's exactly what it is: their problem. Wouldn't you agree?

Now, let's move on to more fun things, like: MACARONS! Woot!

But before I do that, I'd like to talk about one more thing: sponsors. You may have noticed a sidebar that's popped up on the top left hand side of this blog with a few kind folks that have decided to sponsor my wee little blog. As excited as I am about it, I also have to mention that it was a big decision whether or not to have any sponsors on my blog. I didn't want to join an agency, I didn't want flashing images, I didn't want to have just any ads on here.

The main reason I decided for them was for you my darling readers. I hand-pick each and every one of these sponsors specifically because I believe in them or use them, or they are related to baking in some way or another, or they have great giveaways to offer you, or they offer a service that I think you will *love*. You absolutely do not have to click on them, but they are there just for you.

Which leads me nicely into the introduction of my latest sponsor - Jean from Bougie Macarons. Bougie is run by a charming French guy called Jean. I first met him at Taste of Christmas and have met him again since then, and this man is obsessed with macarons! Sound familiar? Wait until you hear his story: as a child he used to visit his grandmother with his sister on the weekends, and his grandmother would bake the prettiest and yummiest macarons, but they weren't allowed to eat them until a few days later, only after the flavours had really set in. So he and his sister would sneak out of their beds at night when grandma was asleep and climb onto stools in the kitchen until they reached the well hidden macaron jars on top of the kitchen cupboards, and they'd devour most of them in one go. Jean spent the rest of his childhood spending most of his pocket money on macarons, and his passion has blossomed into this beautiful business of his. How cute is that?

Jean and I have come up with an amazing giveaway that we think you're going to flip over: to win one of his gorgeous boxes of 16 assorted macarons, delivered to you, anywhere in the world, all you have to do is leave a comment below letting us know what you think would be the best macaron flavour combination you can think of (you don't necessarily need to make it, just imagine it). Whoever Jean thinks has come up with the best flavour will be the winner, and (wait for it!) - will have the macaron made and named after them! How brilliant is that?! It's not everyday you get a macaron named after you! The winner will also have a box of their own named macarons sent out to them. The giveaway closes on Monday, February 15th.

Take a look at Jean's website HERE. You can order his macarons online, and he delivers them worldwide. I know how obsessed most of you are with macarons, so I thought you'd really like this.

The winner of last week's Hotel Chocolat giveaway was comment number 5 (Linda) as chosen by Random.org. Congratulations Linda! You should be getting your prize sometime this week. Hope you enjoy it.

As for this month's macarons, I decided, seeing as it's Valentine's day on Sunday, to make something that wasn't pink for a change, yet was bright, colourful and sensual. Chocolate and passion fruit made a perfect combination, and not only did my use of turmeric add that extra orange colour to the sorbet, but the taste complimented the passion fruit perfectly.

If this is your first time trying macarons, I strongly urge you to read my first macaron post. It has many links to other sites with great tips and tricks for making perfect macarons, and a few video links that I thought were crucial to watch before even attempting macarons. Thanks to all of you that have already written in letting me know how helpful you found all the links, I'm so glad I could help!

About

I'm a London-based food and travel photographer, and this blog is my little space for showcasing my work and personal projects. You can view my portfolio here, or join me on Instagram to see what I've been up to recently. For any job related queries, please contact my agent Hat Margolies at Lucid Representation. Otherwise you can always contact me directly on twitter.